Wavelength
10,600 nm CO₂ Laser
The far-infrared wavelength produced by carbon dioxide laser sources, strongly absorbed by water and therefore by tissue generally.
CO₂ laser sources emit in the far-infrared at approximately 10,600 nm, a wavelength strongly absorbed by water, which makes absorption largely independent of pigment.
What is the 10,600 nm wavelength?
Carbon dioxide laser sources emit in the far-infrared at approximately 10,600 nm. What defines this wavelength in practice is its absorber: at this point in the spectrum, water dominates. Since tissue is largely water, CO₂ energy is absorbed readily and close to where it lands.
This sets CO₂ apart from the wavelengths used elsewhere in aesthetics. A diode or Nd:YAG system is chosen because a specific structure — pigment, or blood — absorbs its wavelength more strongly than the surroundings do. CO₂ works on a different basis: its target is the tissue water itself.
Why water absorption changes the design problem
When the absorber is water rather than a discrete structure, the selectivity described in selective photothermolysis cannot come from wavelength choice alone. Tissue does not offer the same absorption contrast at 10,600 nm that it offers at shorter wavelengths.
Precision therefore has to be engineered into the delivery instead. This is why CO₂ platforms are described primarily by how they deliver energy — the patterning and pulse control — rather than by wavelength, which is effectively fixed across the category. It also explains why the meaningful comparisons between CO₂ systems are comparisons of delivery hardware. See ablative CO₂ and fractional CO₂ for the two principal delivery approaches.
What this means when comparing devices
Because every CO₂ system shares the same wavelength, the wavelength figure carries no comparative information. A specification sheet listing 10,600 nm is telling you the device category, not distinguishing the device.
The figures that do distinguish CO₂ platforms are the ones describing control: available delivery modes, how the pattern is produced and placed, pulse characteristics, and the handpiece options supplied. Buyers who compare CO₂ systems on wavelength and output power alone are comparing the two least differentiating numbers on the page.
Pigment independence
One practical consequence of water absorption is that the wavelength itself is not selective for melanin. This is a property of the physics, not a statement about which patients any device is suitable for.
Patient suitability is a provider-directed clinical assessment, informed by the device’s licensed indications and the provider’s training — not something the wavelength determines on its own.
On the Alexa CO₂ platform
Pro 1 Laser offers CO₂ capability through the Alexa platform, distributed by Laser Equipment Global. The Alexa CO₂ Aesthetic product page documents the system’s specifications, licensing, and regulatory status.
Providers evaluating a specific configuration should request the current specification sheet rather than rely on wavelength alone.
Devices using this technology
Related applications
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FAQs
Why is the CO₂ wavelength absorbed by water rather than pigment?
At approximately 10,600 nm, in the far-infrared, water is the dominant absorber in tissue. This differs from shorter wavelengths used in aesthetics, where melanin and haemoglobin are the primary targets.
Does that make CO₂ behave differently across skin tones?
Because absorption at this wavelength is governed by tissue water rather than melanin, the wavelength itself is not pigment-selective. Suitability for any individual patient remains a provider-directed clinical assessment.
Is 10,600 nm the same on every CO₂ device?
The wavelength is a property of the CO₂ source and is consistent across systems. What differs between platforms is how that energy is delivered, controlled, and patterned.